Bruins-Habs Winter Classic now missing some key players

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FOXBORO – There’s a bit of a growing concern that the sooner the Bruins and Canadiens can drop the puck at Gillette Stadium for the Winter Classic, the better it will be for everybody.

The star power for the NHL’s signature outdoor hockey event has taken a bit of a hit as it seems like each passing day another high profile player won’t be participating in the New Year’s Day game at the home of the New England Patriots.

The latest was Bruins agitator Brad Marchand, who has been suspended for three games for a clipping hit on Mark Borowiecki in Tuesday night’s win against the Senators and will miss the Winter Classic while beginning to serve his “sentence.”

“[Marchand] has got a lot of family members here, and we’re just trying to enjoy the day,” said Patrice Bergeron a few hours before the suspension was announced. “Right now it’s in the hands of the player safety department, there’s not much we can really control. He’s a big part of our offence and our team. We’ll wait to see what the verdict is.”

The guilty verdict means everybody is forced to miss out on the back-and-forth between Marchand and Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban that’s characterized so many of the Bruins/Habs games from the rivalry over the last six seasons

But the Bruins will also be missing their top playmaking center and leading offensive scorer in David Krejci with an upper body injury that’s landed him on injured reserve. The exciting 19-year-old wunderkind prospect David Pastrnak is busy scoring goals for Team Czech Republic at the World Junior Hockey Championships rather than preparing to play in his first game outdoors.

The Montreal Canadiens obviously have their own key performers missing in action right now as they slide down the standings in the month of December, and will continue to be without reigning Hart Trophy winner in goaltender Carey Price. Subtract Habs spark plug Brendan Gallagher from the mix given his question mark status for the Friday afternoon outdoor game, and the Bruins and Habs are undoubtedly missing a large number of their brightest stars for the NHL’s regular season signature event.

Gallagher is expected to practice outside at Gillette with his Canadiens teammates on Thursday, and perhaps his energetic return can fill some of that void.

So now the pressure will be on Subban, Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara and Max Pacioretty among others to step up and show even more of their personality and what makes them special on the ice on Jan. 1 with so many key Habs and Bruins players expected to miss Friday’s Winter Classic.

 

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